Foot Brace For Bed

ABSTRACT

A foot brace for use with a bed includes a rear wall configured to extend adjacent a footboard of the bed and a front wall configured to extend from generally adjacent one side of the bed to generally adjacent an opposed side of the bed. The foot brace includes at least two telescopic rods each extending from the front wall to the rear wall. The telescopic rods are each lockable at a first extension configuration that separates the front wall from the rear wall and a second extension configuration that separates the front wall from the rear wall such that the front and rear walls are separated by one distance when the telescopic rods are at the first extension configuration and another distance when the telescopic rods are at the second extension configuration. An adjustable fastener removably couples one of the rear wall and the front wall to the bed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to medical accessories and, moreparticularly, to a foot brace for a bed that enables a hospital patientto be maintained in an upright position rather than sliding down in thebed.

A doctor may prescribe that a hospitalized patient be maintained apartially upright elevated or “semi-fowler's” position. This means thatthe patient's head and upper torso be maintained partially elevated,such as 45 degrees, so as to prevent a buildup of fluid in the lungs.Positioning a patient in this position often requires two or morepersons. Positioning overweight patients is especially difficult andstaff intensive. Unfortunately, the patient may slide back down in thebed due to a slippery mattress or sheets. In this instance, hospitalstaff may be required to repeatedly reposition the patient.

Another problem experienced by patients who are hospitalized for a longperiod of time or are otherwise bedridden is “foot drop.” This is acondition in which a patient's foot may tend to become bent forward orto the side as a result of constant pressure of bed sheets and blanketsor merely from a lack of “standing” type pressure on the feet andankles.

Various devices have been proposed to assist in maintaining a person'sposition while lying in a bed. Although assumably effective for theirintended purposes, the existing or proposed devices are not useful withdifferent varieties of hospital beds or are not easily adjustable forthe varying heights of different hospital patients.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a foot brace for use with a bedthat is adjustable for use with patients of different heights or tomaintain a patient at different positions within the same bed. Further,it would be desirable to have a foot brace that may provide support oreven pressure to the bottoms of a patient's feet while lying in bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a foot brace for use with a bed according to the presentinvention includes a rear wall configured to extend adjacent a footboardof the bed and a front wall configured to extend from generally adjacentone side of the bed to generally adjacent an opposed side of the bed.The foot brace includes at least two telescopic rods each extending fromthe front wall to the rear wall. The telescopic rods are each lockableat a first extension configuration that separates the front wall fromthe rear wall and a second extension configuration that separates thefront wall from the rear wall such that the front and rear walls areseparated by one distance when the telescopic rods are at the firstextension configuration and another distance when the telescopic rodsare at the second extension configuration. An adjustable fastenerremovably couples one of the rear wall and the front wall to the bed.

This invention is also useful to provide a support means to the bottomsof a patient's feet while lying in bed for a long period of times,especially to a patient that may be bedridden for days or weeks. Havingthis support may alleviate the problem of “foot drop” which may becaused by the pressure of sheets and blankets upon the verticallydisposed toes and feet of the patient. More particularly, the foot bracemay prevent a patient's foot from being undesirably pressed forward orto the side in a way that could be painful or even debilitating overtime.

Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a foot bracefor a bed that enables a patient to maintain a desired position on thebed without sliding.

Another object of this invention is to provide a foot brace, asaforesaid, that is adjustable for use by persons of different heights orto maintain a person at selective positions.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a foot brace, asaforesaid, that is easy to install on a bed and easy to operate.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide that is comfortablewhen in contact with a patient's feet, such as with padding or warm/coldgel packs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a foot brace, asaforesaid, that is economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration andexample, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foot brace in use on a bed accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the foot bracepositioned in a shortened configuration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the foot brace as in FIG. 1 shown in anextended configuration;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the foot brace as in FIG. 1 removed fromthe bed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the foot brace as in FIG. 2 removed fromthe bed and with a temperature sustaining material partially removedfrom a front wall;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the foot brace as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the foot brace as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 a is a sectional view taken along line 9 a-9 a of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 b is a sectional view taken line 9 b-9 b of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 c is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 9 a;

FIG. 10 a is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 9 bshowing a cam lock at a locked configuration;

FIG. 10 b is an isolated view as in FIG. 10 a showing the cam lock at areleased configuration;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 1;and

FIG. 12 is a side view of the foot brace in use by a patient in ahospital bed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A foot brace for use with a bed will now be described in detail withreference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings. Moreparticularly, a foot brace 100 of one embodiment for use with a bed 10includes a rear wall 110 and a front wall 120.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rear wall 110 is configured to extendadjacent a footboard 12 of the bed 10. The rear wall 110 may begenerally planar and may extend from generally adjacent one side 14 a ofthe bed 10 to generally adjacent an opposed side 14 b of the bed 10. Anyappropriate materials may be used to construct the rear wall 110, suchas metal, wood, and/or plastic.

Still referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the front wall 120 may beconfigured to extend from generally adjacent the side 14 a of the bed 10to generally adjacent the opposed side 14 b of the bed 10. The frontwall 120 may be padded (i.e., may include padding 122, as shown inFIG. 1) for comfort and/or may include at least one temperaturesustaining material 124 (FIG. 4) to provide a warm or cold environment.The temperature sustaining material 124 may be, for example, hot/coldgel packs. The padding 122 and/or the material 124 may be removablyreceived in pockets 125 (FIG. 9 c) for replacement, cleaning, heating,and cooling, for example.

At least two telescopic rods 130 each extend from the front wall 120 tothe rear wall 110, as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 and FIG. 8. Eachtelescopic rod 130 may include sections of tubing 132 of variousdiameters slidable relative to one another to extend or shorten a lengthof the telescopic rod 130. FIGS. 2 and 4 for example show the telescopicrods 130 relatively extended, and FIGS. 1 and 3 for example show thetelescopic rods 130 relatively shortened. The telescopic rods 130 may beconstructed of metal tubing or any other appropriate materials.

Means may be included for selectively locking the telescopic rods 130 atdifferent configurations such that the front and rear walls 120, 110 areseparated from one another at different distances (e.g., at an extendedconfiguration shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and a shortened configuration shownin FIGS. 2 and 4). For example, as shown in FIGS. 7, 10 a, and 10 b, camlocks 140 may be in communication with the sections of tubing 132. Whena respective cam lock 140 is at a released configuration (FIG. 10 b),the associated sections of tubing 132 may move relative to one another;but when at a lock configuration (FIG. 10 a), the associated sections oftubing 132 may be fixed relative to one another. In some embodiments,one cam lock 140 is used for every two sections of tubing 132 such thatthe two sections of tubing 132 may be fixed relative to one another.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one adjustable fastener 150 a mayremovably couple the rear wall 110 to the bed 10, and another adjustablefastener 150 b may removably couple the front wall 120 to the bed 10. Insome embodiments, the fastener 150 a may be coupled to the rear wall 110at two locations and extend beneath the bed 10, and the fastener 150 bmay similarly be coupled to the front wall 120 at two locations andextend beneath the bed 10. The fasteners 150 a, 150 b may be, forexample, straps, and the rear and front walls 110, 120 may each have atleast one anchor 160 to interact with the fasteners 150 a, 150 b. Thefasteners 150 a, 150 b may be tightened using a buckle or hook and loopfasteners (FIG. 11), for example.

In use, the foot brace 100 may be positioned at the foot of the bed 10such that the rear wall 110 is adjacent the footboard 12 of the bed 10.The adjustable fastener 150 a may travel beneath the bed 10, forexample, to couple the rear wall 110 to the bed 10. The front wall 120may be positioned a distance away from the rear wall 110 such that, asshown in FIG. 12, a person laying on the bed 10 may fully extend hislegs while his back is generally parallel to a raised portion 10 a ofthe bed 10. For a person with relatively longer legs, the distancebetween the rear and front walls 110, 120 may be relatively small; andfor a person with relatively shorter legs, the distance between the rearand front walls 110, 120 may be relatively large. Once the distancebetween the rear and front walls 110, 120 (i.e., the configuration ofthe telescopic rods 130) is determined, the means (e.g., cam locks 140)may be used to maintain that distance/configuration, as set forth above,and the adjustable fastener 150 b may couple the front wall 120 to thebed 10. The padding 122 and/or the temperature sustaining material 124may comfort the user's feet. As such, the user may comfortably remain inposition on the bed 10 without sliding.

It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have beenillustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar assuch limitations are included in the following claims and allowablefunctional equivalents thereof.

1. A foot brace for use with a bed, said foot brace comprising: a rearwall configured to extend adjacent a footboard of said bed fromgenerally adjacent one side of said bed to generally adjacent an opposedside of said bed; a front wall configured to extend from generallyadjacent one side of said bed to generally adjacent an opposed side ofsaid bed; at least two telescopic rods each extending from said frontwall to said rear wall; means for selectively locking said telescopicrods at a first extension configuration separating said front wall fromsaid rear wall and a second extension configuration separating saidfront wall from said rear wall, wherein said front and rear walls areseparated by one distance when said telescopic rods are at said firstextension configuration and another distance when said telescopic rodsare at said second extension configuration; an adjustable fastener toremovably couple said rear wall to said bed; another adjustable fastenerto removably couple said front wall to said bed; wherein: said frontwall includes a plurality of pockets; said front wall includes paddedmaterial removably situated in said plurality of pockets; said frontwall includes at least one temperature sustaining material to provide atleast one of a warm environment and a cold environment, said at leastone temperature sustaining material being removably situated in saidplurality of pockets.
 2. The foot brace of claim 1, wherein each saidtelescopic rod includes tubing of various diameters slidable relative toone another to extend and shorten a length of said telescopic rod. 3.(canceled)
 4. The foot brace of claim 1, wherein: said rear wall has ananchor; said front wall has an anchor; said adjustable fastenerinteracts with said rear wall anchor to removably couple said rear wallto said bed; and said another adjustable fastener interacts with saidfront wall anchor to removably couple said front wall to said bed. 5.The foot brace of claim 4, wherein each said telescopic rod includestubing of various diameters slidable relative to one another to extendand shorten a length of said telescopic rod.
 6. The foot brace of claim5, wherein said means for selectively locking includes at least one camlock in communication with each said telescopic rod.
 7. The foot braceof claim 6, wherein said front wall is padded.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The footbrace of claim 1, wherein said means for selectively locking includes atleast one cam lock in communication with each said telescopic rod. 10.The foot brace of claim 1, wherein said front wall is padded. 11.(canceled)
 12. The foot brace of claim 1, wherein: one said telescopicrod includes first and second sections of tubing having differentdiameters from one another and being slidable relative to one another toextend and shorten a length of said telescopic rod; and said means forselectively locking includes a cam lock in communication with said firstand second sections.
 13. The foot brace of claim 12, wherein: said rearwall has an anchor; said front wall has an anchor; said adjustablefastener interacts with said rear wall anchor to removably couple saidrear wall to said bed; and said another adjustable fastener interactswith said front wall anchor to removably couple said front wall to saidbed.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The foot brace of claim 4, wherein: saidadjustable fastener extends below said bed to removably couple said rearwall to said bed; and said another adjustable fastener extends belowsaid bed to removably couple said front wall to said bed.
 16. The footbrace as in claim 15, wherein said at least one temperature sustainingmaterial is one of a hot and a cold gel pack.
 17. The foot brace as inclaim 1, wherein said at least one temperature sustaining material isone of a hot and a cold gel pack.
 18. A foot brace for use with a bed,said foot brace comprising: a rear wall configured to extend adjacent afootboard of said bed from generally adjacent one side of said bed togenerally adjacent an opposed side of said bed; a front wall configuredto extend from generally adjacent one side of said bed to generallyadjacent an opposed side of said bed; at least two telescopic rods eachextending from said front wall to said rear wall; means for selectivelylocking said telescopic rods at a first extension configurationseparating said front wall from said rear wall and a second extensionconfiguration separating said front wall from said rear wall, whereinsaid front and rear walls are separated by one distance when saidtelescopic rods are at said first extension configuration and anotherdistance when said telescopic rods are at said second extensionconfiguration; an adjustable fastener to removably couple said rear wallto said bed; another adjustable fastener to removably couple said frontwall to said bed; wherein: said front wall includes a plurality ofpockets; said front wall includes padded material removably situated insaid plurality of pockets; said front wall includes at least onetemperature sustaining material to provide at least one of a warmenvironment and a cold environment, said at least one temperaturesustaining material being removably situated in said plurality ofpockets; said rear wall has an anchor; said front wall has an anchor;said adjustable fastener interacts with said rear wall anchor toremovably couple said rear wall to said bed; and said another adjustablefastener interacts with said front wall anchor to removably couple saidfront wall to said bed; said at least one temperature sustainingmaterial is one of a hot and a cold gel pack; said adjustable fastenerextends below said bed to removably couple said rear wall to said bed;and said another adjustable fastener extends below said bed to removablycouple said front wall to said bed.